Lionel Messi Scores Hat Trick to Match Klose at World Cup

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lionel Messi has spent a career turning football milestones into background noise. On Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium, even he couldn’t quiet this one.

Three goals. A World Cup hat trick at 38. And with it, a share of the all-time tournament scoring record.

Argentina’s captain opened the country’s title defense with a ruthless 3-0 win over Algeria, steering his team clear of the early chaos that once threatened to define their 2022 campaign. No stumble this time. No Saudi Arabia shock. Just Messi, again, dictating the story.

Messi levels Klose in style

The noise had barely settled when he struck first.

Seventeen minutes in, Messi drifted into that familiar pocket between the lines, linked sharply with Rodrigo De Paul, and suddenly the ball sat up for him outside the box. One touch, then a vicious, rising drive that ripped into the top corner. Luca Zidane, son of Zinedine, could only watch it fly.

Goal No. 16 at the World Cup. Level with Miroslav Klose. The kind of moment that usually belongs to history books, not group-stage openers.

Argentina smelled blood. Thiago Almada should have doubled the lead before the break, but dragged his effort wide. Lautaro Martínez forced Zidane into action with a low shot that tested the young goalkeeper’s nerve and handling.

Algeria hung on, but only just.

Pressure breaks Algeria

The second half brought no relief.

Argentina tightened their grip, circulating the ball, dragging green shirts out of position. The Algerian back line bent, then finally snapped just after the hour.

Alexis Mac Allister burst into the box and drew a strong save from Zidane. The rebound spilled loose into danger, and Messi, sharper than everyone else, pounced. One touch, one finish, 2-0. Simple on the scoreboard, brutal in its inevitability.

The captain nearly completed his hat trick minutes later. Slipped through on goal, he faced Zidane one-on-one, only for the keeper to stand tall and block the shot. Messi then went down under contact in the area, turned to the referee, and appealed. Nothing given. Play on.

Argentina didn’t dwell on it. They didn’t need to.

The record within reach

By the 76th minute, the night belonged entirely to him.

Nicolás González found space and slid a measured pass into Messi’s path. No power play this time, just precision. A low, controlled finish into the corner, the kind of cold-blooded strike that has become his signature in high-stakes games.

Hat trick complete. Arrowhead on its feet.

As the clock wound down, Lionel Scaloni finally called his captain to the sideline. Messi walked off to a standing ovation, a World Cup crowd in America saluting a man who now stands shoulder to shoulder with Klose at the summit of the competition’s scoring charts — and has time left to climb alone.

Argentina closed out the match with the assurance of reigning champions, locking down a clean sheet and three points to open Group J. No drama, no doubts, just a clear statement.

Next up: Austria and Jordan. More group games, more chances for Messi to turn a shared record into his own.